Improvement in rakes for harvesters



S. COMFORT. Jr.

Harvester Rake.

No. 18,437. Patented Oct. 20, I857.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL (JO.\1F(JRT,JR., OF MORRISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT iN RAKES FOR HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,437, dated October20, 12 87.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL COMFORT, Jr., of Morrisville, Bucks county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Harvesterltake; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in the employment, in connection, with harvesters,of a rake which is operated in a peculiar manner by means of rods,levers, and other appliances, fully described hereinafter, so that thesevered grain or grass is effectually cleared from the platform anddeposited on the ground.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, 1 will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

Un reference to the drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figures 1, 2, and 3 are elevations illustrating indifferent positions myimproved raking apparatus as attached to the back of the platform of aharvester; Fig. 4, an end view looking in the direction of the arrow,Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a sectional elevation on the line 1 2, Fig. 6; Fig. 6, aground plan; Fig. 7, a. face view of the pinion for gearing into thesegmental lever; Fig. 8, a plan view of the segmental lever.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the platform of a harvester, on the front edge, a, of which aresituated the cutters, the direction of the platform as the machine isbeing drawn over the ground being pointed out by the arrow, Fig. 6.

()n the back edge and at one corner of the platform I secure a bracket,B, in which turns a spindle, b. To the latter is secured a crank, U, theend of which is connected by means of the rod D to the vibrating leverE, the lower end of which turns on a pin or spindle secured to the backof the platform. The upper end of the lever B is forked or divided, soas to form two arms,f andf, in which turns the spindle F, to which, andoutside the arm f of the lever E, is secured the stern of the rake.

Between the two armsf and j", and on the same spindle, are the clutch Hand pinion I, the former being arranged to slide on the spindle, but notbeing capable of turning round independent of the same. The pinion isallowed to turn freely independent of the spindle, and has in its facean orifice, as seen in Fig. 7, adapted to receive a projection on theface of the clutch H.

Between the clutch and the inside of the arm f, and coiled round thespindle, is a spiral spring, Ii, which tends to maintain the clutch ingear with the pinion when not otherwise thrown, and retained out of gearby means hereinafter set forth. On the same spindle, F, is hung one endof the arm K, the other end of which is connected by means of the rod Lto the upper end of the arm M, the lower end of the latter being jointedto the bracket B. A ratchet-wheel, N, is also secured to the spindleF,and this wheel hasa single notch adapted as the machinery operates toreceive the end of the spring'pawl .P which is jointed to the arm K.

The vibrating lever E is jointed to the upper end of the arm M, as wellas to the end of the rod L, by means of the rod Q, on which is asegment, q, having cogs, into which gear those of the pinion I. On theinner face of this segment is secured a plate, 2', one end of which isbeveled otf, as seen in Fig. 8, the beveled portion of this plateserving to throw the clutch H out of gear with the pinion I and thestraight portion to maintain it out of gear for the required length oftime during the movement of the apparatus.

Operation A rotary motion is imparted from any moving part of theharvester, as the latter is being drawn over the ground, to the crank c,which, through the rod D, imparts a vibrating movement to the lever E, asimilar motion being consequently communicated by means of the rod Q, tothe arm M, and from the latter by means of the rod L to the arm k. Asseen in Fig. 1, the rake G has arrived at a position ready to remove thegrain which has fallen onto the platform A. Previous to arriving at thisposition, however, the projection j on the clutch H has struck theinclined portion of the plate 6 on the segment Q, so as to throw thesaid clutch out of gear with the pinion I, thereby allowing the latterto turn freely independent of the spindle F as the vibrating lever E isbrought by the continued movement of the crank to the position shown inFig. 2. During this movement of the vibrating lever the clutch ismaintained out of gear with the pinion by the projection j bearingagainst the straight portion of the plate t \Vhen the apparatus hasarrived to the position shown in Fig.1thepointofthc springpawl p hadcaught in the notch of the ratchet-wheel N. Consequently, as the lever Eis moving toward the position shown in Fig. L, the spindle F, and withit the rake, must he turned partially round, causing the teeth of therake to traverse above the platform in a line parallel or nearlyparallel with the surface of the same, thus el t'ectnall v raking offthe fallen grain and depositing it on the ground. The projectionj on theclutch II is now free from contact with the plate i, when the spiralspring it throws the clutch H in gear with the pinion I. (Jensetplentlyduring the backward movement of the vibrating lever E to its originalposition the pinion, on passing over the segment q ot the arm Q, mustturn, and with it the rake, which, when the lever E is in aperpemlicular position, has been turned upward, as seen in Fig. 3, thepoint of the spring-pawl p being tree t'rom the notch on theratchet-wheel N during this movement and until the rake arrives again inthe position shown in Fig. I, when the pawl again catches in the notch.the clutch is thrown out of gear, and the whole apparatus is in itsoriginal position preparatory to a repetition of the above-describedmovement. It will be thus seen that a revolving motion is imparted tothe rake in such a manner that the grain is elt'ectually cleared fromthe platform and deposited on the ground during a portion of itsrevolution, and that during the remaining portion of its revolution therake is in such an elevated position as to allow the grain, as it issevered by the cutters, to fall on the platform.

1 do not desire to conline myself to any precise mode of imparting avibratory movement to the lever l); but

What 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Operating the rake by means of the vibrating lever E, ratchet-wheel N,spindle F, arm K, spring-pawl P, and rods L, Q, and M, in combinationwith the segment 11 and plate 1', when the whole are arranged andcombined for joint operation substantially in the manner set torth andfor the purpose specified.

in testimony whet eot'I have signed tnyname to this specificationbel'ore two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL COMFORT, JR.

\\'itness HnNnY llowsoN, \YILLIAM 1'1. WALTON.

